Recap | Married at First Sight Season 12 Episode 17 – the latest episode recap on TV Central from Channel 9. Watch the show on 9Now.
Welcome to another Commitment Ceremony Sunday, and boy oh boy do the experts really have their work cut out for them tonight!
There is a lot to unpack following the last Dinner Party which saw exes Lauren and Eliot come face-to-face, Adrian’s grand return after he fled the experiment over a promo shoot and a shocking ‘wife swap’ comment from Billy.
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And that’s not even touching on the Jacqui and Ryan of it all!
Before we get to the couch, Ryan tries to ensure he and Jacqui arrive in a good place – by recreating their wedding dance, this time without the deeply embarrassing drop.
Down the hall, Adrian is not hoping for redemption, because he still doesn’t think he did anything wrong.
In fact, he would like everyone else to redeem themselves instead.
MAFS EP 16 RECAP: Billy’s shocking comment is exposed by Adrian and Lauren and Eliot’s reunion leaves his new bride ‘disgusted’
He goes to Awhina looking for an apology and it goes about as well as absolutely everyone besides him would expect:Play Video
Awhina and Adrian try to clear the air
Billy has also not received the apology he wants from Sierah, but after his “wife swap” comment to Adrian was revealed we don’t think he’ll be getting it!
Sierah is devastated, saying she is not a commodity to be traded.
We’ve also got three couples about to face the experts for the first time – and after Eliot’s shocking display at the Dinner Party, Veronica has a lot to get off her chest.
Let’s get into it, shall we?
Veronica and Eliot
Veronica doesn’t have to wait long!
“Eliot, we meet again,” John greets him.
Now that’s terrifying.
Veronica admits hearing Lauren’s side of the story was confronting, as was Eliot’s lack of reflection.Play Video
Eliot apologises to Lauren
Eliot cops this. He’s willing to admit he didn’t handle himself well, and then turns to Lauren to apologise for not considering her feelings when he left their honeymoon.
This means a lot to Veronica, who immediately grabs his hand.
Then Eliot says something that clearly surprises the entire group: his rigid checklist is officially in the bin.
EXCLUSIVE: Eliot reveals his list of non-negotiables in unseen MAFS audition tape
It’s such a turnaround that it has John acting like a proud father.
“I didn’t know whether you had it in you. Tonight, we like what we see,” he says.
He’ll get to see even more, hopefully, because both Eliot and Veronica choose to ‘stay’.
Lauren and Clint
Lauren doesn’t mince her words as she says things with Clint have been an “upgrade” from the get-go.
While Eliot talked a lot about things she asked for, Clint actions them. For her, that’s a huge difference.Play Video
Lauren and Clint reflect on their budding romance
“I think you’ve done a great job,” Clint agrees, as Lauren blushes.
They’re definitely sticking around!
Jacqui and Ryan
The group look nervous about sitting through another rollercoaster Jacqui and Ryan couch session, which feels… fair, actually.
Firstly, they apologise to Beth and Teejay for their behaviour at their wedding.
Then Ryan tells the expert’s about Jacqui’s ‘rap sheet’ of all his flaws.
Oh, how convenient. She brought it with her!
Ryan shares his frustration at the list but also his appreciation for her trying to help him grow, as Jacqui cries again over their terrible wedding dance.
The experts can only watch on bewildered.
Eventually, John admits to being confused (again).
EXCLUSIVE: The MAFS 2025 stars reveal their secret celebrity crushes
“It may for many people seem like writing down all your grievances is not something that’s very healthy, but in a strange, bizarre way it worked for you two,” he says.
Jacqui beams.
Ryan says he is committed to bringing out the best in them, even though it can be “chaotic” and “catastrophic”, which is handy because they both ‘stay’.
Rhi and Jeff
Rhi catches the experts up on the Jacqui-texting-Jeff drama, and Alessandra asks Jacqui for her point-of-view.
“I am in a position where I can’t handle Ryan on my own,” she says.
“That just makes me sound terrible,” Ryan reacts.
Oh no! Quick, back to Rhi!Play Video
The experts try to understand why Jacqui texted Jeff
Despite this little speed hump (pun intended), Rhi and Jeff have exciting relationship news. They were intimate!
EXCLUSIVE: Rhi opens up about her ‘explosive’ past relationship in unseen MAFS audition tape: ‘I wasn’t proud’
They’re happy to have waited and now feel stronger than ever. It’s another ‘stay’ and ‘stay’.
Sierah and Billy
It’s very clear that these two are arriving on the couch as individuals, not a couple.
Mel asks Sierah what she considers her mistake to lead them to to this point, and Sierah says lying to Awhina about going out for dinner with Adrian and Tony.
Billy sits next to her incensed. He feels completely ignored.
Mel wants to get to the bottom of things, asking Sierah and Adrian if they feel deeper connections with each other rather than their partners.
Adrian answers no, while Sierah says she just finds Adrian easy to talk to.Play Video
Sierah and Billy reflect on their bumpy experience
Sierah then brings up Billy’s ‘wife swap’ comment, which leads her to believe he doesn’t like her anyway.
John calls that comment out and Billy agrees that it was not an acceptable thing to say. He apologises to Sierah and all the other women.
He’s deeply frustrated that he was so open with Sierah and got none of that openness back.
It’s time for the decision and Billy cannot see a way back from this, so he has chosen to ‘leave’. Sierah has done the same.
“Obviously you are a beautiful person inside and out and in those first couple of weeks of getting to know you, I’ve seen that and it generally was nice,” Billy tells her, adding that he wished she didn’t retreat into herself so much.
After such nice words, Sierah’s having second thoughts.
”Now that I’ve heard you out and we’ve sat here and spoken like this, I wish we could stay,” she says.
But Billy, on the other hand, has no regrets about his decision.
As he still thinks it’s the right decision to depart, the rules are that they’ll now officially leave the experiment.
Beth and Teejay
It’s been nothing but smooth sailing so far for these two.
Not only have they been non-stop taking the piss out of each other since they met, but they’re also working hard on building trust and being vulnerable too.
They’ll have plenty of opportunities for that, as they’re ‘staying’ in the experiment.
Jamie and Dave
The golden pair are still golden, thank goodness!
Jamie says she’s “ride or die for people [she] loves”, which gets some ‘ooooohs’ and ‘aaaaaahs’ from the audience.
“I’d like to clarify! In love is a different thing for me, but of course 100 per cent he’s someone I do have love for,” she says.Play Video
Jamie admits she has ‘love’ for Dave
Dave agrees that he cares about Jamie “so much” and it’s exciting to see things develop.
They share two ‘stays’ – obviously!!
Carina and Paul
Carina and Paul’s dream run in the experiment is still very dreamy.
There isn’t much else to say besides ‘stay’ and ‘stay’, sealed with a kiss!
Morena and Tony
Tony catches the experts up on his blossoming relationship with Morena, helped greatly by a lack of Houdinis and finger pointing this week.
They’ve been out on dates and had a lot of fun, which delights the experts.
While Tony smiles at their progress, Morena bursts his bubble.
“It’s really lovely to hear that, but I don’t feel it,” she says.
She wants Tony to be more of a gentleman.Play Video
Morena has a bone to pick with Tony
“I’ve asked him, ‘do not fist pump me’ and he still does it, I’ve asked him, ‘stop headlocking me’ and he still does it,” she rants.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry that I’m not fun and I’m so glad you’re all laughing,” she turns to the group.
They are in stitches. Even John has to put his head in his hands to hide the giggles.
Tony says he’s just trying to show affection, but she’s adamant a “headlock” is not the way to do it.
The camera cuts to Beth and Teejay and what is… THAT.
Tony apologises and says he will stop.
He gives her a big actual hug, and for a split-second of Morena thinks maybe a headlock is coming next.
Thankfully, he does not.
Mel says they need to work hard on progressing things even further, which they’ll have the opportunity to do as they ‘stay’.
Awhina and Adrian
“Awhina, where do you want to start?” John says, a clear sign that there is A LOT to unpack here.
She explains that she arrived back to their apartment to find his ring on the counter after he left – because he was not in the promo.
“I left because I was frustrated,” Adrian claims.
“Adrian, I’ve got it on good authority that you gave an ultimatum: ‘Either put me in the promo or I’ll leave,'” John hits back.
Oh that’s juicy.
Adrian doesn’t deny that, and says he had every right to be frustrated.
He claims he acted emotionally but he’s a man and makes mistakes.
“What about Awhina?” Jamie pipes up from the crowd.
Awhina tries to share how she felt, but Adrian still wants to talk about him making a mistake.
John isn’t having it.
He calls out Adrian’s lack of communication afterwards, his defensiveness at the Dinner Party and again now: “What I’m feeding back to you, Adrian, is that you’re not good at saying sorry – and that’s a problem.”
Boom!
Awhina says the incident validated the fact she had been feeling invisible in their relationship.
“Us men can act heavily on emotions and we’re not good with emotions,” Adrian responds, and uh ohhhhh the experts are not going to let that slide.
“I would like to jump in, being a man has nothinggggg to do with it,” Alessandra reacts.
“Did I say man?” Adrian scrambles. Yes, you literally just did.
From the group, Dave says Adrian should aspire to be as open and loving as Awhina, which causes her to break down.
“You need to open up to her because she’ll show you the way,” Dave says.
Adrian agrees and knows he needs to do better. To prove it, he’s written ‘stay’.
Before revealing her decision, Awhina reads from her Confessions Week letter about hoping the experiment was worth time away from her son.
“How I felt today didn’t feel worth being away from those very real milestones,” she says, revealing she has written ‘leave’.
She doesn’t know whether Adrian is able to show up for her in the way she needs him too, but he promises to work hard this week to fix things.Play Video
The experts call Adrian out for his behaviour
We’ll have to wait and see if he can – but this week, he’ll be working on things alongside some visitors!
Strap in, the participants friends and families are in town… and you can bet they’ll have very strong opinions on their loved ones’ relationships!
Married At First Sight airs Sunday at 7pm and Monday to Wednesday at 7:30pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.
Stream every episode of Married At First Sight for free on 9Now
CREDIT: By Chelsea McLaughlin at Nine Entertainment
Please note: This recap first appeared on 9Now located HERE
Please note: This recap was written by Chelsea McLaughlin and made available on TV Central with permission by Nine
TV Central Nine content HERE
Recap | Married at First Sight Season 12 Episode 17
